Fountain pen



Jan. 10, 1967 w. ENGLER FOUNTAIN PEN Filed oct. 25, 1964 w .Q i@

United States Patent C) FOUNTAIN PEN Werner Engler, 26 Rankestrasse, Kusnacht, Zurich, Switzerland Filed st. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 406,016 Claims priority, application Switzerland, 0st. 25, 1963, 13,103/ 63 7 Claims. (Cl. 1Z0-42.04)

The invention relates to fountain pens and particularly to pens of the kind in which an outer sleeve surrounds a nib carrier which is displaceable from an inoperative position in which the nib is within the sleeve to an operative position in which the nib is outside the sleeve.

Such pens usually have an ink duct leading from an ink chamber within the sleeve to the nib which is adapted to be closed by a squeezing closure member comprising a valve seating, a resiliently deformable jacket or cover arranged above the seating and a pressure member acting on the jacket in the zone of the valve seating.

Fountain pens with squeezing closure arrangements are already known, wherein the pressure bodies are balls which, in the closure position of the squeezing closure arrangement, press a portion of a rubber tube against a valve seat and by this means prevent the throughflow of ink or air. On displacement of the nib carrier in the pen sleeve, this pressure body slides on the rubber tube and, eventually, this may damage the tube. Furthermore, due to the friction between the pressure body and the rubber tube, the displacement of the nib carrier tends to be diflicult.

The invention aims to overcome these disadvantages and to this end the control of flow of ink is controlled by means of a valve in which a resiliently deformable jacket or cover is pressed on to a valve seat when the carrier is in the inoperative position by a pressure member arranged on a leaf spring attached to the m'b carrier which pressure member is acted upon by another spring mounted on the sleeve in a position to bear on the pressure member only when the carrier is in the inoperative position.

With the valve arrangement according to the invention the pressure body moves with the nib carrier and it moves only perpendicularly with respect to the surface'of the resiliently deformable jacket, without sliding thereon in the longitudinal direction. On displacement of the nib carrier, only the two metal parts of the leaf and outer sleeve springs slide on each other, so that a very low degree of frictional resistance is opposed to the movement.

An example of a pen in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 shows a longitudinal section through the front part of a fountain pen according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of part of the pen shown in FIGURE 1, with the nib lifted olf;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section taken along the line III- III of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 4 is the same section as in FIGURE 3, but with the nib body advanced into the position for use; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section along the line V-V of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE l, the fountain pen is shown in the inoperative position. Axially displaceable in the outer sleeve 1 is an inner sleeve 2 in which a nib carrier 3 is secured and at the front end of which a nib 4 is disposed. Pushed over the rear end of the nib carrier 3 is an ink bag 5 surrounding an ink chamber 6.

The flow of ink out of the ink chamber 6 to two ducts 10 arranged under the nib 4 takes place through two parallel slots 7 opening out into a duct 8 having a cross-section in the form of a segment of a circle and merging at a valve seat 11 into two ducts 9 which also have a crossice section in the shape of segments of a circle and which are connected with the ducts 10. The duct 8 is externally delimited by a rubber tubing 12.

The rubber tubing 12 has, in the rear portion of the nib carrier 3, a full circular cross-section (cf. FIGURE 5) whereas in the forward portion it is slotted on its upper side, in order that the nib 4 may bear directly on the nib carrier 3 (cf. FIGURES 3 and 4).

In the slotted zone, the rubber tube 12 is surrounded by asresilient clip 13 Iwhich presses it against the nib carrier Below the recess of the valve seat 11 is a pressure body 14 having a curved su-rface corresponding to the curvature of the valve seat 11. The pressure body 14 is arranged at the end of a leaf spring 15 secured at its other endtto a sleeve 16 which is immobile with the parts 2 and 3. The leaf spring is curved in such manner that the pressure body does not normally curve the rubber tube 12 inwardly. Rigidly secured on a part 17 connected to the outer sleeve 1 is a leaf-shaped compression spring 18 having a curved forward end 19. The latter is disposed adjacent the pressure body 14 when the nib carrier 3 is in the inoperative position. The compression spring 18 is stronger than the leaf spring 15 and is so designed that it presses the pressure body against the rubber tube 12 in the inoperative position, so that the inner surface of the tube 12 bears against the valve seat 11 and by this means the connection between the ducts 8 and 9 is interrupted (cf. FIGURES 1 and 3).

If the nib carrier 3 is displaced into the operative position, so that the nib 4 projects out of the sleeve 1, the leaf spring 15 also moves with the nib carrier 3. Then, the compression spring 18 no longer acts on the pressure body 14 or the spring 15. The latter is able to pivot into its unloaded position in which the pressure body 14 no longer presses the rubber tube 12 against the valve seat 11 (FIG- URE 4). The ducts 8 and 9 are then connected together and the ink is able to flow from the ink chamber 6 to the nib 4.

The mechanism for displacing the nib car-rier 3 is known per se, a typical embodiment being that described in British Patent No. 937,632.

It is expedient to give the two ducts 9 and the duct 8 the cross-sectional shape of a segment of'` a circle. The ink then flows in two line streams along the two acuteangled edges of the duct, whereas the central zone remains free for the throughflow of air into the ink chamber 6.

The ink duct between the ink chamber 6 and the valve seat could of course also extend in the interior of the nib carrier 3. In this case, the rubber tube 12 would be arranged only in the zone of the squeezing closure arrangement.

I claim:

1. A fountain pen comprising an outer sleeve, a nib carrier which is displaceable from an inoperative position in which the nib is within the sleeve to an operative position in which the nib is outside the sleeve, an ink chamber within the sleeve and a valve which stops the flow of ink to the nib when the carrier is in the inoperative position, the said valve comprising a valve seat, a resiliently deformable cover over the valve seat, a pressure member adjacent the cover at the valve seat, a leaf spring attached to the carrier and supporting the pressure member and means mounted on the outer sleeve and engaging the pressure member only when the carrier is in :the inoperative position to displace said pressure member and cause the cover to contact the valve seat whereby the valve stops the llow of ink to the nib.

2. A pen as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means for engaging the pressure member comprises a compression spring having a strength greater than that of the leaf spring, said leaf spring urging the pressure member away from the seat, the compression spring urging the pressure member towards the seat.

3. A pen as claimed in claim 1 wherein said carrier has an ink supply duct formed therein, said seat being formed in said duct, said pressure member closing said duct when the carrier is in inoperative position.

4. A pen as claimed in claim 3 wherein said duct has a cross-section which is the segment of a circle.

5. A pen as claimed in claim 3 wherein said ink supply duct includes at least one ink duct in the carrier beneath the nib, two connecting duct portions in the carrier extending from the nib ducts to the valve, said connecting ducts having a cross-section in the form of a segment of a circle, and a further connecting duct portion in the carrier extending from the valve to the ink chamber, the latter duct portion also having a cross-section in the form of a segment of a circle.

6. A pen as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover is mounted on the nib carrier and covers the same at least in the region of the seat and the further connecting duct.

7. A pen as claimed in claim 1 wherein said valve seat has a curved surface and the pressure member has a corresponding curved surface for closely seating the deformable cover on said seat.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOUNTAIN PEN COMPRISING AN OUTER SLEEVE, A NIB CARRIER WHICH IS DISPLACEABLE FROM AN INOPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE NIB IS WITHIN THE SLEEVE TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN WHICH THE NIB IS OUTSIDE THE SLEEVE, AN INK CHAMBER WITHIN THE SLEEVE AND A VALVE WHICH STOPS THE FLOW OF INK TO THE NIB WHEN THE CARRIER IS IN THE INOPERATIVE POSITION, THE SAID VALVE COMPRISING A VALVE SEAT, A RESILIENTLY DEFORMABLE COVER OVER THE VALVE SEAT, A PRESSURE MEMBER ADJACENT THE COVER AT THE VALVE SEAT, A LEAF SPRING ATTACHED TO THE CARRIER AND SUPPORTING THE PRESSURE MEMBER AND MEANS MOUNTED ON THE OUTER SLEEVE AND ENGAGING THE PRESSURE MEMBER ONLY WHEN THE CARRIER IS IN THE INOPERATIVE POSITION TO DISPLACE SAID PRESSURE MEMBER AND CAUSE THE COVER TO CONTACT THE VALVE SEAT WHEREBY THE VALVE STOPS THE FLOW OF INK THE NIB. 